This invention concerns the production of molded sculptures of ice.
Ice sculptures have long been appreciated for their esthetic appearance, due primarily to the smoothly flowing surfaces of the ice and to the clarity of the light transmitted therethrough. Ice sculptures have often been used as distinctive decorations for banquets, celebrations, and festive occasions. When fashioned as bowls, the ice sculptures provide a desired cooling effect to the contents of the bowl.
In the past, ice sculptures have generally been fabricated from large blocks of ice, using special tools to chip, form, and smooth the ice. In this process, a great deal of the mass of ice in the original block is wasted. Moreover, the labor involved in forming the ice sculpture has resulted in generally high cost of the sculptures.
A method of molding ice sculptures is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,206,899, said method involving supporting a water-filled flexible mold in inverted position within a rectangular outer box. Because of the hydrostatic pressure of the water, especially with large sculptures, the flexible mold must be of sufficiently thick wall structure to prevent distortion.
The necessary thick-walled flexible molds are expensive to make and difficult to peel off the ice sculpture. It is also found that sculptures made by the method and apparatus of U.S. Pat. No. 4,206,899 contain cracks which detract from the appearance and structural integrity of the sculpture.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for producing molded ice sculptures substantially devoid of cracks.
It is another object of this invention to provide apparatus for producing large molded ice sculptures, said apparatus utilizing a thin flexible confining envelope.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved ice sculpture mold of simple and rugged construction capable of versatile configuration and prolonged duration of use.
These objects and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.